Medicating with Facebook

Every time stuff gets difficult, I find myself reaching for Facebook for distraction. I know enough to know that’s not good. Self Improvement 101: sit with the difficult stuff – that’s where the rewards lie.

I’m not talking personal problems here, though I have no doubt I would use FB to make myself feel better in that department.

My difficulties are to do with my latest assignment for my MA. I’ve written a paragraph and suddenly I find myself scrolling scrolling scrolling – maybe it’s a little dopamine reward for writing a sentence, maybe its a way to avoid thinking.

My FB is all pretty wholesome – gardener’s pages, loads of writer’s stuff – the content isn’t the problem, it’s the fact it’s diverting me from thinking.

Why don’t I want to think? Dunno. Do know. Dunno. Leave me alone.

Pretty sure FB is the work of the devil – I’ve watched the Social Dilemma (we’ve ALL watched the Social Dilemma, surely? Go and watch The Social Dilemma).

I know it’s time to switch off – I don’t have the apps anymore. But I’m not ready to delete the whole Internet just yet – that is the way it works, right?

(I know that’s not the way it works).

Alternative strategies – reading (which still on a device but whole stories, not incy wincy little memes); writing (it’s like training a dog – get back to the page, Fido. The Page. THE PAGE).

Writing little blog posts that are easier than thinking up coherent story ideas.

Ah yeah.

Let’s go with that one.

PS: I’ve been reading Struggle by Grace Marshall. It’s 99p on Amazon and it encapsulates everything I believe about ‘life’s sh*ttier moments’. If you need a kick up the arse, it might be the very book.

It was recommended to me by a FB friend.

Sigh.